Reflections In Your Tears
by Salvatore Shan NW
Summary: Tokyo, 1997. Inuyasha is just a normal teenager, living with his elder brother and his two parents. Kagome however isn't as fortunate... She's been bound to a God tree for 50 years in Japan's past by Inukoshuu, Inuyasha's incarnation...
1. Chapter 1

**Reflections In Your Tears**

_Tokyo, 1997. Inuyasha is just a normal teenager, living with his elder brother and his two parents. Kagome however isn't as fortunate... She's been bound to a God tree for 50 years in Japan's past by Inukoshuu, Inuyasha's incarnation..._

God. Why, oh, why did I choose to write something like this? Okay, well, this is where it starts. My brother and me are having a Christmas karaoke while I'm writing this, so if I start typing Slade lyrics then I'm sorry.

Right, this is sort of a retake on Inuyasha. What if _Kagome_ had been the one trapped on the tree for 50 years? Uhm, I know Inuyasha's dad is known as Inutaisho, but that's just a sort of title, right? So I kind of called him Inu-Sesshou because it's a cross between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru… duh. If I say Inutaisho at any point then it's because it's his title.

* * *

**Scroll One  
**Just The Beginning…

The early morning sun filtered through the kitchen-window blinds, casting barred shadows across the table in the centre of the room.  
The family of four sat around the table were quiet. Encircling them on the walls were unblinking, motionless images of themselves. Perfect family portraits – nothing but a happy family…

_As if. _"Thanks for breakfast, Mum," Inuyasha sighed as he stood up, taking his plate over to the sink. The room was suddenly jerked out of hibernation and the family seemed to wake up. Without a word, Inuyasha's elder brother raised his head. Sesshoumaru narrowed his amber eyes in quiet disapproval.

Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi, smiled – wrinkling up her nose. "I'm glad you like it, sweetie." she rested a hand on the table and grinned at her husband, before collecting up the plates and putting them on the kitchen counter.

Sesshoumaru ran a steady hand through his long silver hair, trying to figure his brother out. His father opposite him was tapping an unknown rhythm out on the table – smiling limply. Izayoi was too cheery this morning and Inuyasha was really quiet. Even his father was acting odd.  
There was something Sesshoumaru was clearly missing here…

Looking around the room, he found the cause of the problem. "It's _you_," Sesshoumaru spoke softly, frowning at Inuyasha.  
"Pardon?" Inuyasha turned, startled, as he reached for his school bag. He blinked furiously, his red bandana bringing out the uncertainty in his eyes. But he sighed and then gazed casually at his parents in sudden understanding. "Oh, so you've noticed," he said drolly.

Inuyasha slung a hand over his shoulder, gesturing at the calendar on the wall. "What day is it, Sesshoumaru?" he asked, sarcastically – smiling innocently.  
Sesshoumaru turned away. "Yeah, well, I _chose_ to forget it." He scowled.

"Sesshoumaru!" Izayoi gasped, looking sharply over her shoulder in disgust, just at the same time her husband spoke up. Inu-Sesshou leant forward and narrowed his eyes. "Would you mind repeating that, son?" he said harshly, almost daring him to.

But Inuyasha was grinning. "You know, Sesshoumaru, you're _really_ mature," he joked, before waving over his shoulder. "See ya later, Mum. Dad."

"Inuyasha, don't go off to college like tha–" Inu-Sesshou stood up, but his youngest son was already disappearing out of the back door. It slammed shut before his eyes.

He turned slowly to Sesshoumaru. "Why do you always find a way to insult him?"  
Sesshoumaru shrugged elegantly. "I didn't insult him. I just forgot his birthday."  
Izayoi slammed a rolling pin down on the counter. "_Exactly_! He's your brother, you can't just–"

"_Half_-brother," Sesshoumaru cut in. He stood up and smiled loosely. "And what right do _you_ have to contradict me? You're not my mother," His grin widened. "And I don't even know what I'm _doing_ here. I'm going home,"

"Sesshoumaru, you apologize right now!"  
"Forget it, Father. I'm out of here. University calls," Sesshoumaru picked up his jacket, making his way out of the room.  
His father was red in the face and getting angry. His samurai-style ponytail swished from side to side as he shook his head.

"I-I'll… I'll... I'll rent out your room!" he cried.  
Sesshoumaru laughed pleasantly. "An interesting thought, Father. But I'll pass. Besides, I have my own apartment – remember?" He pulled out a timetable from his jeans pocket and surveyed his subjects in distaste.  
"Hm, history… and, what's with Latin? I don't remember putting Latin down on my application form–" he didn't finish properly.

He narrowed his eyes at his father in understanding, and then said quietly, "I'll be leaving now,"  
"Be my guest," Inu-Sesshou sighed, waving a hand absently. He seemed tired all of a sudden, and leant back in his dining-chair, exhausted.

Izayoi said in a clipped voice, "Say hi to Rin for me,"  
Sesshoumaru froze. _Rin… _He tucked his timetable away. "I'll be back by eight. I'm counselling Rin at the local library tonight so I won't be able to make it here in time for dinner. I'll just eat alone tonight, get a takeaway or something and be around after."

Izayoi sighed, the dishes clattering in the sink as she attempted to wash them. "Sesshoumaru, you don't have to–"  
The back door slammed. Sesshoumaru had already left.  
Izayoi winced.

The warm outside air blew in, making Inu-Sesshou feel hot and bothered. He undid the top button of his dark-brown Calvin Klein t-shirt and blew his silver bangs of hair out of his eyes. "Roll on eight o'clock," he grimaced.

* * *

_I'm late… _Inuyasha panted as he ran down the street, his trainers slapping against the floor at an inhuman speed. Because, of course, he wasn't human. And only his friends knew that, only his family, because they were the only ones who would understand…

"Hey, Inuyasha!"  
"It's about _time_!"  
Inuyasha came to a halt, bending over and placing his hands on his knees. He started taking deep breaths, his face a shade of pink.

Miroku had his dark hair in a small ponytail, which contrasted to Koga's long thick hair that ran down to his shoulders – even with the high ponytail in place. The two both had blue eyes, except Miroku's were more of a deep violet, and Koga's were icy-clear and the colour of agate crystal.

"Did I miss anything?" Inuyasha panted, standing up to his full height. He looked around at his friends.  
Koga sniffed. "Not much. Hojo's ignoring us again,"  
Miroku grinned. "Yeah! He won't come anywhere _near_ us after you yelled at him like that…"

Inuyasha flashed a grin and stood up. "Yeah, well, he deserved it…."  
The three smiled in recognition of last night – of seeing Hojo run for his life at the sight of Inuyasha growling. And then…

"Ah, great. Here he comes…" Koga rolled his eyes, nodding in the direction of a brown-haired boy running over.  
Hojo was panting, holding out a hand as if telling the three to stop. They weren't going anywhere.

Inuyasha sighed when the boy got close enough. "What do you want, Hojo?"  
Hojo, his face tired, was gasping for breaths and clutching his chest in pain. "Look, I've come to apologize."  
Inuyasha snorted. "Forget it,"

Koga sniffed and Miroku looked away, fiddling with his ponytail with uncertain blue eyes. Hojo looked desperate. "I didn't mean it. I didn't know that guy was your brother, I'm sorry."

Miroku and Koga began backing away, shaking their heads in confusion. Inuyasha wanted to follow them, but he couldn't. He was frozen on the spot. "M-My brother…?" he stared at Hojo, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Hojo, that isn't what I… What the hell did you do to Sessh–"  
Hojo stepped backwards uncertainly. "You didn't know? Uh… well, uh." He looked left and right, his eyes wild, and then smiled innocently. "Later, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha was stood, pinned to the spot. He actually _let_ Hojo run away – which was what he couldn't understand afterwards. He gulped.  
Koga and Miroku were standing awkwardly a few feet away. Inuyasha turned, and for a minute he seemed to be taller than them. It was as if fire was licking the air around him. His eyes were narrowed.

"What's going on?" he asked slowly, clenching his fists. Koga and Miroku shrugged – they didn't actually know. Inuyasha slowly walked forward, angrily. _They must know… they _must_!  
_When he got close enough, Miroku tugged on his bandana.

"Look, I'm sure it's nothing, Inu."  
Koga fidgeted on the spot. "Guys, maybe we should get to our classes–"  
At that moment, a girl with fiery-red hair ran over. "Koga! Koga, did ya hear?"  
Koga turned to stare down at his girlfriend, Ayame. Her bright green eyes were anxious.

"What is it, Ayame?" he asked, tired. Miroku leant his head on his shoulder, peering over at the younger girl. Inuyasha stood tense, trying not to look like he was listening.  
Ayame bit her bottom lip delicately. "That girl from the primary school – Rin, I think her name is. Well, the foster house she lives at – you know she's an orphan, right? – well, they are saying she ran away last night…"

Inuyasha turned. "_What_!"  
_Oh God, not Rin… How could she run away? She's only seven, for crying out loud! What's Sesshoumaru gonna say…?  
_Ayame nodded at Inuyasha, enjoying being the centre of attention for once. "And that's not all. Hojo saw her yesterday with your brother, Inuyasha. The police are involved now. They caught up with your brother on the way to uni this morning."

Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief. "Children go missing over night all the time. She's probably at a relatives… How did they suddenly jump to my brother being involved?"

Ayame paused, and then took a deep breath. "He was the last person to see her. The police always link things like this, but I'm sure it's nothing, Inu."  
Koga scowled, looking around for any traces of Hojo. "Which explains why Hojo was apologizing…"

Inuyasha shook his head. "_No_. Sesshoumaru is Rin's mentor. She's like his… his sister. I swear he would never do anything to put her in danger,"  
Ayame sighed and looked for comfort in Koga's arms. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered into Koga's chest, looking lost and sad.  
Inuyasha frowned. "Do the police have him? Now, I mean?"  
Ayame looked up slowly, and then nodded. "That's what the others are saying. Ginta and Hakkaku are spreading it around the whole school," she added, unimpressed.

Miroku frowned. He looked up at his friend. "Inuyasha, what are you going to do?"  
Inuyasha looked fierce. "I'm gonna go and find my brother–"  
Koga shook his head. "Sesshoumaru wouldn't appreciate it. Besides we've gotta get to college. Miroku can go check on him for you."

Being nineteen, Miroku was already out of college. He was taking a twilight course there but not today, and he was going to be applying for uni at the end of the year.

He wore a short-sleeved purple shirt that read 'Jesus is coming – look busy', and black baggy jeans with hanging strips of material and bulky chains.

Miroku nodded. "Yeah. I'll go see him, if you want me to."  
Ayame blinked and then pulled out of Koga's arms. "We're late for class. Come on, we're missing forensic science." She straightened out her black miniskirt, trying and failing to smooth out the plaits in it.

Inuyasha sagged, defeated. "Sure…" he looked at Miroku wistfully. "I know he hates me, and I… well he's not exactly the best big brother in the world. But make sure he's okay."

Miroku gave him the thumbs-up. "Sure,"  
Inuyasha sighed and glanced at Koga and Ayame without really seeing them. "Let's get to class,"


	2. Chapter 2

**Reflections In Your Tears**

Uh, I had to pick a random last name for Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and co. Don't sue me if it sounds crud. I have no idea if you find out Inuyasha's real last name or what, but hey – here we go.

**Scroll Two  
**Interrogation

"I told you. I don't _know_ anything. I took her out for a McDonalds last night, asked her how she was coping at the foster house and took her back. I was at my parent's house by seven o'clock." Sesshoumaru sighed in a careless voice, looking around at the dull, interrogation-room walls.

_Foolish humans… _  
"Can your parents provide you an alibi?" the police officer quizzed, leaning forward in his chair.  
Sesshoumaru smiled politely and stared at the sandy-haired officer. "Yes. And so can my little brother."

The policeman frowned and looked at his colleague, who was writing things down on a notepad. The policeman looked back at Sesshoumaru. "How old is your brother?" he asked.  
Sesshoumaru grimaced. He waved a hand. "Sixteen. Uh, no, I mean – he's seventeen _today_. He's in college."

"Uh huh," the policeman nodded. "Does your brother have a name?"  
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "Inuyasha,"  
The policeman nodded. "Does _he_ know this girl?" he waved a picture of Rin in front of Sesshoumaru's face.

Sesshoumaru scowled. "He knows her, but he doesn't see her like I do."  
"And what exactly _is_ your relationship with Rin?"  
Sesshoumaru shrugged, tossing his silver hair back over his shoulder. "There is no relationship. A lecturer at my university said I should do some extra-curricular activities to put on my CV. He signed me up to be her mentor. My father was quick to accept it – to 'teach me responsibility' he said,"

The policeman smiled. "From what we've heard that didn't exactly work out. Come on. Where's the girl?"  
Sesshoumaru sighed. "I don't _know_ where she is." _But I hope she's safe…  
_"You were the last person to see her."  
Sesshoumaru nodded. "And…?"

The policeman frowned, then he switched off the interview tape. Sesshoumaru seemed unaffected. He smiled limply, wondering what kind of game these humans were playing. He flexed his hands in thought.

"Can we have this room?" the interrogator asked his colleague, also acknowledging the guard standing by the door.  
They nodded and left without a word.  
Isolated, the interrogator and the suspect stared at each other. Then the sandy-haired officer grimaced, showing pearly white teeth. "Sesshoumaru, that's your name, isn't it?"  
Sesshoumaru nodded.

The officer continued. "Where was your brother last night?" he asked.  
Sesshoumaru waved a hand absently. "What's that got to do with anything?"  
"Just answer my question," the officer snapped.  
Sesshoumaru sighed. "How do I know? It was the night before his birthday, maybe he went out with his friends, maybe he stayed at home – I don't know, I'm not his keeper."

"What would you say if I said that your parents believe he didn't come home last night? He was out until the early hours of the morning."  
Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair. "It's a free country, isn't it? My brother often goes out for walks."

"In the middle of the night?"  
Sesshoumaru shrugged elegantly. His eyes glinted.  
The officer's smile widened. "Well, we talked to your parents after we brought you in this morning. They said he left the house immediately after you did."

"Maybe going out suddenly became a good idea. Maybe he was just following my lead. I don't live with my brother – I don't keep tabs on him,"  
"Indeed," the policeman grinned. "Would he be capable of following you?"

"And why would he do a thing like that?" Sesshoumaru grinned. His eyes were narrowing, glinting almost red. He was getting tired, uncomfortable and angry. Not a good combination for a demon. _If only this human understood…_

The officer smiled cruelly. "Why would he follow you? Maybe to abduct a little girl,"  
Sesshoumaru laughed. He threw back his head and laughed at the mere thought of it. "Inuyasha wouldn't do that. He's father's golden boy – he would never do anything like that,"

The policeman narrowed his eyes. "Maybe so. But I could arrest your brother right now if I wanted to,"  
Sesshoumaru stopped laughing. _What! _

"Why would you do that?" Sesshoumaru growled.  
The officer, glad he was having an impact, chuckled. "Maybe to get _someone_ to tell me where the girl, Rin, is,"  
Sesshoumaru leant over the table, his eyes dark. "I don't KNOW where Rin is! I haven't seen her since last night! You can't pin this on me _or_ my brother!"

The policeman looked uncertain as he leant backwards – away from Sesshoumaru.  
Sesshoumaru looked fierce. "I may not like my brother, but you are not calling him in for something he didn't do! That would be a disgrace!"

Sesshoumaru slowly eased up and sat back, tired. "Look. Rin may be an orphan but surely she has other relatives?"  
The policeman shook his head. "Nope. You're the only person she knows outside of the foster home. And things are looking pretty bad for you, my friend."

_I'm not your friend, _Sesshoumaru thought. "Couldn't someone have nabbed her off the streets? Maybe she went out for some fresh air…"  
"You said that with little emotion. Surely if you tutor this girl you would be upset that she's missing…"

Sesshoumaru scowled, then looked down into his lap. "I want her to be _found_." He said, his voice hardly steady. He was trembling with anger. "But you aren't doing your _job_ properly," He raised his head, and suddenly his eyes weren't a cold amber – they were ruby red.

Sesshoumaru's mouth opened in a snarl – opening in way that was impossible for a human mouth. It almost seemed like he was _transforming_…  
_It-It's not possible… _thought the officer, backing away and standing up.

Sesshoumaru laughed, his voice deep. "Fool. If you don't find the girl, I won't be responsible for my actions."  
The officer started gibbering, walking backwards until his back pressed against the cold cell wall. "Wh-What _are_ you?" he cried, hoarsely.

Sesshoumaru smiled, and his eyes changed back to normal. He shut his mouth, and almost resembled a human again. Almost. The officer had been pretty sure that the marks on his face were tattoos or markings from a cult group. Now he wasn't so sure.

"I'm immortal," Sesshoumaru straightened up, his voice no longer deep but flat and laced with pride.  
The officer gulped in spite of himself. Then pressed a button on the walkie-talkie clipped to his vest.

"Bruce and Jackson, come in." he spoke into it, unsteadily. There was static on the other end, and then a reply.  
"_Yes_?"  
The officer didn't keep his eyes off Sesshoumaru. He was shaking in fear.  
Sesshoumaru smiled and shut his eyes, leaning back as if relaxing.

"It's… It's Kemp, here. I want you to pick up someone for questioning. Over."  
Again, the white noise and then a reply. "_Address? Name?"  
_"Inuyasha. Uh, last name: Daioshuu. He's seventeen. Goes to the local college. Over."

Sesshoumaru started whistling, uninterested. He'd scared the human – that was all he'd wanted to do.  
"_Okay, we'll bring him in ASAP. Over."  
_"Good," Officer Kemp pressed a button on his walkie-talkie, ending the call. He then glanced at Sesshoumaru and flinched.

"I'll send out a party to look for the girl," he said. Then, afraid of what else to say, he began to walk away.  
Sesshoumaru smiled. "Happy hunting. Oh, and by the way, my brother's smart. By the time your buddies get to the college – he'll be long gone."

* * *

Inuyasha stared at the white board without really seeing it. All he kept thinking about was the maths test later on in the day. Maths was his worse subject. He hated it more than anything else in the world.  
Sighing, he tried to get his mind tuned into fingerprints and DNA, but he really couldn't be bothered.

Forensic science was a drag. Inuyasha just wasn't good at school full stop – so why did his father bother to send him? He should know that all Inuyasha wanted to do was–

Inuyasha smelt something then. Something new. Two people. His sense of smell was far better than any human's, and with the wind blowing scents through the open window he could smell the new arrivals as if they were there in front of him.

Two police officers.  
Inuyasha's forensics class was a ground floor classroom, and the windows gave a view of the back car park. A police car had just driven in. _But why do I feel like they're coming to get me…? _

Inuyasha's instincts had never let him down before. _My brother has just been taken in – the police have no doubt talked to Mum and Dad already. Now they want me…But what could I possibly say that–? _

Inuyasha froze. _I was out last night and I didn't tell anyone where I was going… _"Damn," he whispered, bowing his head. Not good, definitely not good. _So, they might be coming for me after all…_

Inuyasha, luckily, was sat by an open window. And as soon as the lecturer's back was turned, he bolted out of it – without making a single sound. No one seemed to notice except Koga on his right, who slipped into his vacant seat without a word.

The wolf-demon nodded at his friend, almost saying 'I'll cover for you', and acted like Inuyasha hadn't been in the class at all.  
As soon as Inuyasha was outside, he started running – well, running and jumping – to the only place he knew was safe.

_Home_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Reflections In Your Tears**

I haven't seen _The Ring_ so any jabs at it are purely guesswork. Samara is mentioned cause I thought it would be funny – you know? Japanese wells? For those of you who don't have a clue who Samara is, she's the girl on the Ring. And Samara is such a pretty name too...

**Scroll Three  
**Endless Abyss

Izayoi and Inu-Sesshou weren't home when Inuyasha arrived. _They're with the police… _Inuyasha thought suddenly, and his throat locked up. _Well, Sesshoumaru cam handle himself… _

He knew instinctively that he had to hide – that his house was the first place the police would look once they'd realised he'd run away. _But where can I hide? It's not like we have a basement! _Inuyasha turned every which way.

He faced the shed, the house, the Go-Shinboku God tree, the small annex building that was the old well house, and then he looked at the stairs. The stairs he _hadn't_ had to amble up. He was part demon; he could jump up the hillside without breaking into a sweat. Easy – job done. _Now where am I going to hide…_

He turned back to the well house, a slow smile creeping across his face. "The old Bone Eaters well…" he said aloud, before making his way over. Like his house and the shed, the well house was made entirely of wood. Which, in other words, meant it was cold, damp and dark – unlike the Daioshuu household itself.

Inuyasha opened the door with ease, no sound marking his presence. But then his cat, Buyo, mewed on the floor – the sound almost resembling a foghorn. Inuyasha jumped in the air, terrified, then calmed. "Damn it, Buyo!" he snapped. "Shoo! I got police on my tail!"

Buyo seemed to narrow his eyes, almost saying 'you don't _have_ a tail'. Buyo always ran into the well house – it was as if the darkness was a comfort to him. And Sesshoumaru _always_ said – _I'm not going in there. You go in and get that stupid feline. Morbid places like _that_ are reserved for hanyous like you, little brother. _

Inuyasha scowled in thought. _He deserves to be arrested – not that he's done anything to Rin. He's just the most annoying son of a–  
_CREAK!  
Inuyasha turned to face the door. Nope, he'd definitely slammed it shut behind him. Now that he'd begun making his way down the steps, he figured that it was just the old floorboards creaking.

He sighed, taking a deep breath, and glared at Buyo – who occupied the step beneath him. "Keep going, boy." Inuyasha urged, waving a foot in the air – imitating kicking his cat.  
Buyo mewed – a pitiful sound – then limped down the last few steps until he was circling the well.

Inuyasha let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He could feel the part-muddy, part-old concrete floor beneath his trainers. The well itself seemed to smell of rot and mould, and to Inuyasha the smell was maximised due to his sensitive nose.

He still found some humour. Making his way over, he tapped the top of the well – the part that was covered. "Hey, Samara, you in there?" he whispered sheepishly. When there was no reply, he laughed silently and sat on top of the well cover – in the centre, with his arms folded and his legs crossed.

Then he just turned his head and faced the door, waiting for the noise of footsteps. He took a deep breath. Buyo jumped up onto Inuyasha's lap and purred – his tail flicking back and forth while his front paws snagged on Inuyasha's red jacket.

Inuyasha sighed and bowed his head, then stroked his cat absently. Maybe if he could get a crowbar and tug off the top of the well… surely it couldn't be that far down…  
If he just hid down there for a while then…

CREAK!  
Inuyasha stiffened. He'd felt it, rather than heard it. A shuddering sound that pierced through his body and reverberated around in his mind. His bottom lip wobbled and all he thought was that: _the well cover's old, and damp, and… and _old. _Am I going to fall through?_

Another creak. Inuyasha clamped his eyes shut as Buyo leapt off of his lap. Cats and dogs could sense danger. And Inuyasha was part _dog_-demon and he could sense it right now. RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! His instincts screamed.

But his human side wouldn't let him. He knew that if he moved, he'd fall in just the same – that a shift of weight would cause an avalanche of wood and result in him hitting the bottom of a well that was probably as deep as a house.

_There's no way out… _Inuyasha gulped. Buyo sat on the bottom step of the stairs, blinking and mewing at Inuyasha – sympathising. But he still turned and hopped up the stairs, leaving Inuyasha behind.  
_Damn cat…_

Inuyasha could feel the wood soften and break beneath him. He swallowed thickly and dared himself to look down. The wood was splitting, but bending _upwards _not downwards. Inuyasha realised, then. It wasn't because he was sat on it… someone was forcing it open _beneath_ him.

He could hear something – a muffled kind of roar of… of pure _longing_.  
"_Give it to me… The Jewel of Four Souls…"  
Then I'm not making it cave in? I can run away? _Inuyasha began to sit up slowly, not risking it.

And when he thought he was free, he began to make his way to the edge of the well. That was when whatever was pounding on the bottom of the well cover came pulsating out with a deafening shriek.

"_Hanyou_!" the creature wailed. Inuyasha cried out in confusion and then everything was a blur. He was falling through the well and whatever had appeared was a vague silhouette in the shadows, towering above him.

And, Inuyasha realised, the creature was female. He'd heard as much when she'd spoken. She had oily black hair and pale skin – her upper body resembling a human. But the rest of her…

_S-Samara? _Inuyasha thought wildly. No. This creature had a centipede's body and six arms that flailed back and forth like fins or tentacles. Her lower body reminded him of a mermaid as it flowed like silk – but then it seemed to glow ivory in some unknown light source. Her lower body… it was just _bones_…  
Inuyasha was somersaulting through the well and everything was going black…

_Surely I'm going to hit the bottom soon, _Inuyasha thought. _Where the hell is the ground?  
_His eyes widened suddenly as he saw that the centipede monster was doing a U-turn, following him down.

"_Give me the Jewel of Four Souls_…"  
"The _what_?" Inuyasha cried. His open jacket fluttered loosely around him. His bandana was flying off. His FCUK shirt was billowing around him and his legs were kicking uselessly in his jeans.

The centipede monster grabbed him with four of her arms, wrapping them around him. The other two flailed around her. She was laughing. Her face was grotesque – like a snake and a human all in one. Inuyasha pulled away, bile rising in his throat.

"_I know you have it, hanyou. Give it to me…_"  
_How does she know I'm a half-demon? _Inuyasha puzzled at the same instant he was trying to tug out of her grasp.  
And then he noticed… he noticed that her body was regenerating. What had been bones and cartilage was now conjuring up flesh, muscle and skin.

Inuyasha looked up, terrified, and then saw the look of pleasure on the demon's face. _Hey, I hope you don't think you're going to win this… _  
Snarling in anticipation, Inuyasha watched as claws grew on his fingers, then he desperately swiped out at her.  
"_Demon BEGONE!" _he cried, slashing her.

There was a flash, a tearing sound, and then Inuyasha blinked away the light – after-images imprinted on his vision…. And what he _saw_. He saw that he was no longer in a vertical well with an end – he was in some kind of _atmosphere_…

It was like space. Inuyasha couldn't describe it, he was surrounded by pink lights, blue lights and purple lights. He blinked in curiosity, and then turned to look back at the demon holding him.

She'd been unaffected by his swipes. She was chuckling.  
Inuyasha gaped. "What? How? My claws should have–!"  
"_Foolish child!_" the centipede demon shrieked, before lunging in. A slithery tongue zipped out of her mouth and tasted Inuyasha's cheek. Inuyasha growled in detest.

"Get _off_ me, you _freak_!" he roared, holding out a hand in her direction as he pushed her away. "Leave me ALONE!" And then there was another flash of light, but unlike the bright white light his claws had made when they'd struck, this was a new colour.

A bright, ruby red light. Inuyasha's eyes flew open in shock.  
The centipede demon screamed and began falling – the arms that had been holding Inuyasha disconnected from the rest of her body and lost their grip. Soon the appendages fell down with the demon, and there was silence as her figure faded in the endless abyss of rainbow colours.

Inuyasha was panting. He stared at his hand in wonder, pretty sure that what had happened wasn't something a regular demon could do, let alone a hanyou. He gulped and flexed his hand in front of him. It looked ordinary to him.

That was when he stumbled – falling flat on his face. The world around him dissolved and he was spread-eagled on the bottom of the well. _What the–? _He looked up, blinking dust out of his eyes. He rubbed mud off of his face using his jacket sleeve and frowned, looking around.

The centipede demon was gone – all except for one arm that lay twitching a few feet away from him.  
Inuyasha flinched and looked up.

Light was washing through the well opening above. Inuyasha sat up, his heart heavy. _Damn. The police are here. They've opened the well-house doors… they've found me… What else would explain the light?_

He could hear birds whistling, the swish of trees in the breeze and… _hey, where are the cars? Where's the sound of sirens? Where's the sound of footsteps – of talking?_

Inuyasha stood up. He cocked his head on one side, squinting against the sunlight. _Surely the well house would block out that amount of sunlight… that's too bright. _Inuyasha decided that something was wrong. He frowned and shut his eyes, gathering up all his courage… and…

He jumped.

Landing beside the well, Inuyasha looked around for any sign of uniformed officers. He saw none. What he _did_ see wasn't a shabby well house or a bemused cat. He saw a plush green forest that surrounded him on all sides.

The trees were tall around him – dwarfing him. Inuyasha had never felt dwarfed before by anyone but his father and Sesshoumaru. Birds flitted around him, whistling and dancing in pairs, rebounding off of each other as they courted.

Inuyasha looked around in a daze. "Where's this…?" he wondered aloud, making a circuit of the well. He'd fell through the well and jumped back up… but this _wasn't home!  
_"Where the hell am I?"

And then, as if the right lens had been snapped in front of his eyes, a certain landmark held his gaze – trapping him. "Go-Shinboku!" he cried, relieved. _So I _must_ be home… The Go-Shinboku is right beside the house…_

"Then where the hell is the house?" he cried aloud, making his way over to the large tree. He tapped it, which he often did for good luck and then ran his hand over it – taking his hand with him as he encircled the tree.

But he had to stop. There was a giant _root_ in his way. "What the–?" he looked up, frowning – then froze. He couldn't see well from this angle, but it seemed… it seemed that someone was _hanging_ there, attached to the tree.

Inuyasha stepped over the root, curious. He was right, there was a girl there. The girl was asleep – her dark lashes played against her tanned skin as she slept. _Or… Or is she dead?_

Inuyasha stepped forward, now directly in front of her. She had long dark hair and rose-coloured cheeks. She looked so peaceful… so perfect. Inuyasha frowned. _So what? What do I care? I don't look at girls that way… _but he had to admit. She was beautiful.

He made his way over until their faces were inches apart. She looked about fifteen/sixteen – practically Koga's age. Koga was only in Inuyasha's classes because he was smart, he was actually sixteen. This girl's hair was the same thick black colour as his.

"Uh, hello?" Inuyasha said meekly, not one to wake up girls who were sleeping upright against large trees. The girl didn't stir. Inuyasha stared at her critically, but then something struck him.  
_She's… she's not breathing… _He realised. He couldn't see her chest rise and fall, or her lips part as she sucked in breaths. She was limp.

Inuyasha listened intently, trying to hear for her heartbeat. Nothing. _Then she really is dead… _He leant forward, brushing his hand against her cheek. She didn't wake. Her skin was cold at his touch.

Inuyasha had never seen a dead body before, let alone a body of someone almost his age – of someone so perfect… He took a deep breath, running a hand through her dark hair. "I'm… _sorry_," Inuyasha stammered, unaware of what to say – what to do.

He stared at her. _If she's dead, how can she be standing upright like that? Well, not standing, _leaning_. It's like there's something holding her there… something powerful…_

_And her _clothes_. She's wearing a red kimono – it's wrapped around her._ The kimono looked like an oversized haori that someone had draped around her, tucked her into. It fitted her well. She was barefoot – _no one _went barefoot nowadays.

_Then that means… _Inuyasha thought, adding it all up in his head, _I'm in the past…_  
He looked at the girl more closely and again he brushed her cheek with his hand. He was still frowning, overcome with sadness. _I wondered what happened to her…_

"What the _hell_ are you doing!"  
Inuyasha turned in surprise. "W-What?" He came up short, his mouth hanging open. Someone had managed to sneak up on him – God knows how. And now they were holding a fist in his face. A fist that was encircled by masses of cyan-blue _fire_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Reflections In Your Tears**

**Scroll Four  
**A Kitsune's Lost Past

Inuyasha took a step backwards, pressing his body up against the dead girl in fear. The person before him was about twenty-years old in appearance, but that didn't count for anything because Inuyasha could see by the person's pointy ears that they were a demon.

_Figures as much, he has damn fire power. And that means… that means he's a fox-demon… _  
"What the hell are you doing! Don't you _dare_ touch her!" snapped the fox-demon in front of Inuyasha. The stranger had slanted green eyes that seemed childish and innocent, fiery red hair and a quivering fox tail behind him.

He was angry, Inuyasha could tell by the ferocity in his face. _But he's not strong… I can get behind him too – I just need to pivot on my right foot and–  
_Inuyasha pivoted just as the demon's arm shot forward in a punch.  
The demon turned, furious that someone had evaded him, and was about to pounce on Inuyasha when the half-demon held up his hands in surrender.

"Hey. Hey, calm down, I'm sorry – whatever I've done, I'm sorry…" Inuyasha told him, nodding in his direction – an uneasy smile on his face.  
And now that the older guy was looking at him, staring at him, recognition crossed the fox-demon's face. Except it wasn't the kind of recognition Inuyasha wanted.

The kitsune froze. "F-F-Father…?" the fox-demon whispered, lowering his punching arm. His bottom lip wobbled as he gazed at Inuyasha.  
Inuyasha opened his mouth in shock. "_W-What_?"  
A million thoughts suddenly surged through his mind. _Surely this guy's older than me – how can I be his dad? And besides I haven't even… I mean, I'm a virgin for crying out loud! And how could I have a full-demon son if I'm a hanyou?_

It didn't make sense at all. Inuyasha was stood, looking shell-shocked. The demon opposite him had his head cocked on one side. The Kitsune opened his mouth, and then shut it. "Father? Don't you recognise me? It's Shippo. Remember?"

"Look, I don't know _who_ you are," Inuyasha held up his hands in defeat, stepping backwards. "My name's Inuyasha. Inuyasha Daioshuu. I've never ever _seen_ you before, let alone a Kitsune."

The man called Shippo opened his mouth in shock, his eyes widening in disbelief. Then he sniffed the air. After a moment of deliberation, he frowned. "No. No you're not my father…"

Shippo turned away, confused. The daggers of emotional pain still cut him to the core, after all these years. The memories surged forward. _Father…  
_Inuyasha spoke up."Look. I'm a half-dog-demon. No offence, but is your 'father' one too, because I really can't see it myself…"  
"Huh? Oh. Uh, yeah. Yeah, he is," Shippo nodded, distracted, staring at the girl on the tree.

He sent a snide look at Inuyasha and then nodded at the unconscious girl. "How the hell are you capable of touching her?" he asked, staring at the hanyou.  
Inuyasha blinked, then blinked again. "You mean _you_ can't?"  
Shippo laughed, almost hysterically. "_No one_ can. Not since my father put her there,"

Inuyasha's mouth fell open on two accounts. "You mean, your father–? Is your father dead?" Something about the way Shippo talked about his father… it made Inuyasha think.  
Shippo looked down, his fiery hair falling about his face in waves as he did so. Then he nodded. "Yes. He died after binding her to the tree. And I don't even know why he did it, they were so _happy_. I mean, _we_ were so happy,"

Inuyasha stepped forward, motioning at the girl. "Is that your sister?" he asked Shippo, not seeing how it was possible that this guy had a dog-demon father and a human sister.

Shippo raised his eyes and frowned. He shook his head. "No. No, that's not my sister. That's my _mother_,"

* * *

"I still don't understand it," Inuyasha shook his head, placing his empty bowl down on the floor of the hut. He leant in closer to the fire and shook his head. "Shippo, explain from the beginning."

Shippo shrugged, putting his own bowl down. "I can't. I was only a kid at the time. Well, by 'kid' I mean I was fifty – but, well, I was five in my head. I don't remember much…"

"Then tell me what you know," Inuyasha frowned, aggravated. It was late now. Shippo had fed Inuyasha and taken him to his village, shown him off to the other civilians and told Inuyasha what the year was. Apparently, Inuyasha was back in the Sengoku Jidai – which he found hard to believe.  
Inuyasha had explained to Shippo that he wasn't from this time – with great difficulty. Whilst thinking of home, Inuyasha felt ill.

He missed so _much_! The television for instance, and his hi-fi and his games consoles… And he wondered what had happened to Sesshoumaru and the police… whether Rin was okay…

Shippo had only just reminded Inuyasha that the girl on the Go-Shinboku was supposedly Shippo's mother. But she was _younger_ than him – it wasn't possible!  
The sky outside was dark, and the night was cold – Inuyasha was trying to get as close to the fire's heat as possible.

Shippo had created it with a flick of his wrist. Inuyasha remembered thinking: _Nice_.  
Now Shippo sighed, and tucked his light-blue robes in around him – wrapping up warm.

"I guess you've noticed that they weren't my real parents…" he began, grabbing a spoon to stir the leftover stew in the cauldron above the fire.  
Inuyasha opened his mouth, then nodded.  
Shippo continued. "My real father was killed by Hiten and Manten, the Thunder Brothers. After that, they sort of adopted me and became my foster-parents,"

"Who are 'they'?" Inuyasha frowned, prying slightly.  
Shippo looked up, then looked down. "Oh. My dad was called Inukoshuu, my mum was called Kagome."  
_Kagome… _Inuyasha thought, a bell ringing somewhere in his head. A chord seemed to have struck somewhere within him, but he didn't say it aloud.

_The girl's name is Kagome…  
_Shippo was continuing"My dad was about your age when he died. I was, like I said, just a kid. It's been fifty years since then. Theoretically I should be ten years old, but I wanted to age – I wanted to be tougher. My dad always was tough…"

Shippo looked into the fire and felt his eyes sting at the thought of his foster-father. "My dad was a half-dog-demon like you. He looked _just_ like you. He wore really expensive robes – a long white kimono with a sapphire-blue sash. He would always walk barefoot and Mum soon followed his lead.

He had his hair up in a high ponytail – in a samurai-knot. He wore silver arm plates over his kimono and had a hefty silver neck brace with embedded crystals like lapis lazuli and sodalite and sapphires and agate… only blue crystals – Dad _loved_ blue, just like Mum loved red.

Dad was the village protector. He wasn't a priest because he was part-demon, but he had certain powers that no demon had. For instance, he could use telekinesis – you know, move things with your mind? – and he could use telepathy. He could also create walls out of _nothing, _and they weren't really _there_ but they still stopped you in your tracks.

That's… what he did to Mum…"

Shippo trailed off of his long speech and took a deep breath. Tears were welling up in his eyes.  
Inuyasha felt awkward. It obviously hurt Shippo to talk about his mum and dad like this, but Inuyasha wasn't used to seeing adults cry – his mum or dad had never cried in front of him. Dad never cried at all.

Shippo wiped his eyes before any tears fell and smiled bravely, testing himself. He began to talk again, his voice unsteady and wobbly. "My mum and dad weren't _together_. They were in love, _everyone_ could tell, but they never admitted it. Until that day. And they were just about to get married when…"

Shippo gulped and bowed his head. "Dad betrayed Mum. Or _something_ happened. I think she betrayed him first. I don't know what happened. But Mum was running away. Mum had stolen something and she was running away. So Dad stopped her. He was crying when he did it – he didn't want to…"

"What happened?" Inuyasha urged softly, curious.  
Shippo bowed his head and looked away. "He used his powers to force Mum against the God tree in the forest. He put her to sleep. He'd followed her, and she'd kept running – so he had to stop her. He _had_ to. And after he trapped her… he died."

Inuyasha blinked twice. "Just like that? He just keeled over and died?"  
Shippo looked up angrily. "He didn't just 'keel' over, idiot. But…" he calmed. "My dad was so strong. He would never allow himself to be beaten. He was _never_ beaten. Even though he was just a hanyou, he was strong. But _Mum_ defeated him,"

"How?" Inuyasha sighed, suddenly bored. This was all a good story to him. He didn't exactly _believe_ it all…  
Shippo smiled weakly. "Dad couldn't be beaten _physically_. He was beaten _mentally_, _emotionally_. He loved my mum more than life itself, and she betrayed him. She broke his heart,"

Shippo shrugged simply and looked into the fire. Then he exploded. "I hate them _both_!" he snapped suddenly, angrily. "They _left_ me! I was just a kid! They didn't _once_ think about me!" He was starting to sound more like a child than a twenty-year-old.

But then Shippo sighed and calmed down, banging the spoon against the cauldron. "But… I loved them. I still do. We were happy. Maybe not a perfect family, but they cared – I know they did. And now they're gone… they've been gone for fifty years…"

Inuyasha frowned. He didn't know what to do, so he resorted to patting Shippo's back in comfort. "Look, I'm sorry, Shippo. It sounds awful,"  
Shippo laughed, meekly. "You have no idea," he said dryly. "You don't realise how much it hurts to look at you,"

"_Me_? Why?" Inuyasha cried, puzzled, standing up.  
Shippo shook his head, smiling. "You look, you sound, you _act_ just like my father. It's like you _are_ him. Reborn,"

Inuyasha smiled. "Keh! I think you're _nuts_." He grinned to show it was a joke. Then he grew serious. "Shippo, do you have any idea what the 'Jewel of Four Souls' is?"

Shippo froze. He stared at Inuyasha, and the colour drained out of the fox-demon's face. "Why do you ask?"  
Inuyasha shrugged. "That centipede woman who dragged me here. She asked me for it, she thought I had it."

"She thought you had the–? Why would _you_ have it?"  
Inuyasha shrugged. "Look, I don't even know what it is. I don't have a _jewel_. Do you think that she thought I was Inukoshuu like you did? Is it one of the jewels he used to wear?"

Shippo looked away and shook his head furiously. "I always had an idea of what Mum stole from Dad. I think she stole the Shikon Jewel, a jewel used to boost demon powers. Dad was intending to use it to become a full-demon, but when he admitted that he loved Mum, he was gonna become human.

I thought Mum stole it to, you know, finalise a break-up. 'I don't love you anymore, so I'm taking the object that will allow us to be together' sort of thing. The Shikon Jewel… well, its other name is the Jewel of Four Souls. Maybe Mistress Centipede _did_ think you were Dad. After all…"

"After all…?" Inuyasha prompted.

"Dad told me, before he died, to burn the Shikon Jewel with his remains. So, it should be with him in the afterlife – but Mistress Centipede seemed to think you had it. I… I wonder why…?"

At that moment, a blood-curdling scream ripped through the peace of the night. Shippo stood bolt upright, crouching in a defensive stance just as Inuyasha dropped into an attacking stance.

They frowned at the hut entrance.  
Shippo's eyes narrowed. "What could it be?" he said.  
There was another noise from outside that rose to deafen the other. The scream subsided. Instead, there was nothing but maniacal laughter and the ear-splitting crashes of falling houses.

"_Hanyou_!" a voice screamed.  
Inuyasha's mouth fell open in disbelief. "No…"  
Shippo's head jerked in his direction and their eyes met. "I thought you said she was _dead_!" Shippo cried.

Inuyasha looked at a loss. He faced the flap that was the door. "Apparently not," he scowled, before running outside – ready to face the centipede demon from the well once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Reflections In Your Tears**

I'm slowly feeling that this is becoming like my other fanfic _Volume One_. Don't worry; it'll get better as soon as Mistress Centipede is gone, I promise.

**Scroll Five  
**The Comatose Angel Reawakens

The flap flopped loosely back into place as soon as Inuyasha bolted out. And there, with her centipede coils wrapped around a hut the opposite side of the square, was Mistress Centipede – the demon who had got him into this mess.

Inuyasha frowned. "Hey! Insect! Is it _me_ you want!" he shouted, waving his arms to attract her attention. Shippo dashed out of the building behind him. "Inuyasha, head for the Bone Eaters well you came out of. We'll set a trap by the Go Shinboku,"

Inuyasha nodded. "Got it," he told Shippo. "Hey, ugly!" he cried, starting to run towards the forest in the distance – the forest he'd arrived in… where Kagome was…  
"Come on, hag, follow me! You want the jewel don't you?" he jeered.

Mistress Centipede loosened her coils around the building. She hissed. "_Hanyou_…"  
Inuyasha felt like a little kid again, goading Sesshoumaru to chase him around the garden.  
"_Come on, Sesshy! I've got your Fluffy!"  
"Damn you, Inuyasha, give me Fluffy back!"  
"Inuyasha, stop teasing your brother…" "Inuyasha that's not nice, give the blanket back to Sesshoumaru!"  
"Come and get me, Sesshy! Na-na na-na-na!"_

"Come on, wench, you can catch me can't ya?" Inuyasha cried, hating to admit that he was enjoying himself.  
Mistress Centipede smiled nastily, her circular eyebrows rising at the prospect of a chase. She would enjoy this…

"_Shikon Jewel…" _she purred, licking her lips as she followed Inuyasha.  
Inuyasha smiled mischievously. "And this is where my demon blood kicks in…" he grimaced, getting ready to jump.  
He was about to leap when the demon on his tail caught up with him. _Damn, I have no time to jump. Speed up, dammit!_

Inuyasha's legs seemed to obey his command, he ran faster than he'd ever ran before. Soon the village dissolved and he was out – almost at the outer rim of the forest. The centipede demon, however, wasn't shaken. She was just as fast.

"_Give me the Shikon Jewel!" _she roared.  
Inuyasha frowned, suddenly bored with that monotonous sentence. "Look, I don't even _have_ it!" he cried, truthfully, speaking over his shoulder.  
"_Liar_!"

Mistress Centipede lunged and Inuyasha's eyes widened in fear – she was too close! He dived away from her, and it suddenly occurred to him that he was now at the top of the hill, and he was falling through the forest – landing, skidding.

He landed like a cat on all fours –he sat up and crouched, only to find that he'd shaken the centipede demon and standing in front of the Go Shinboku. And Kagome.

Inuyasha blinked furiously. He stared at the girl before him and realised something. _She's just asleep, not dead. But it's a sleep she can't wake from unless Inukoshuu removes it. And Inukoshuu is dead…_Inuyasha walked forward. _But inside… she's still alive, she must be. I have to protect her from that demon._

He stepped forward, making his way over towards her. It was as if someone was pulling them together, connecting them with a cord. Inuyasha wanted to touch her – to feel her skin beneath his fingers. He'd never felt that for a girl before.

He felt as if he were invading a space that didn't belong to him. Someone else's territory. _Inukoshuu_…  
Inuyasha frowned. "What do I care? The guy's dead!" he frowned, making his way forward. He leant in close, and stroked Kagome's cheek with the back of his hand fondly.

What happened next made him lurch backwards in shock.  
Kagome's eyes snapped open. "Who's dead, Inukoshuu?" she said softly.

* * *

Inuyasha fell back, his eyes wide. "W-What?" he stammered.  
The dark haired angel laughed, throwing back her head.  
_Brown eyes… she has brown eyes… _one part of Inuyasha's mind said, the other was whispering: _she's alive! _and the other simply said: _Inukoshuu? I'm not Inukoshuu. _

Kagome seemed to calm down. She was even more beautiful awake than she had been asleep. Her top lip indented her lower lip slightly, making her seem innocent – fragile. Her eyes were the colour and texture of milk chocolate; her hair was as black as the ebony notes on a piano.

And she looked… afraid. Upset. Used. But she was trying to hide it, trying to cover it up with maliciousness and hatred.  
Kagome sneered. "Look who's lost for words now," she grinned, then, flashing a row of pearly white teeth.

Inuyasha frowned. "Listen, girl, I know who you think I am, but you've got it wrong…"  
Kagome cocked her head on one side, amused. "Oh really? Don't try and pull that one on me, Inukoshuu. You tried to kill me. In fact, you…" she stopped and her bottom lip quivered.

"…you did," she finished, and at that moment she looked so alone, so sad… so heartbroken. And then she bowed her head and bit her bottom lip.  
Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it. He placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder and stooped down so they were eye-to-eye.

Kagome raised her head to look at him.  
Inuyasha shut his eyes slightly. "Look, I'm acting really out of character – that well _did_ something to me and… Listen, girl, I'm _not_ Inukoshuu. My name's Inuyasha,"

Kagome opened her mouth in surprise. "That's impossible," she contradicted. "What are you, his twin or something? You look just like him…"  
"Kagome… I don't know how to tell you this, but you've been asleep for–"

"_The Shikon Jewel_!"

Inuyasha turned, suddenly backing up and pressing himself against Kagome – hiding her. He had to protect her, he didn't know why but he _had_ to.  
"Stay close to me!" he cried.

Kagome made a sound that was almost a laugh. "I'm not going anywhere," she grimaced.  
Mistress Centipede darted into the clearing, unfolding like a tornado.

Kagome stared at the newcomer with narrowed eyes. _It's lucky that my fist is clenched, _Kagome thought, feeling the solid orb in her right wrist. _Otherwise that demon would be giving me trouble. _

"_Found you, hanyou_!" Mistress Centipede roared, before winding herself around a few of the trees in the clearing.  
Inuyasha scowled, lowering himself in an attacking position. He knew that the way he was stood provided the demon with no clues as to which way he would leap.

So long as she stayed away from Kagome…  
"Hey, Mistress _Worm_!" Inuyasha teased. "Come on,"  
"_Give me the Jewel_!" the centipede demon screamed, shooting forward.  
Inuyasha sprang to the left whilst the demon had anticipated him to jump to the right. Instead Mistress Centipede found herself diving towards the tree.

Kagome screwed up her face in detest as the demon's upper body crashed a few feet away from her own. "Damn it! Can't you be more careful!"  
She looked around for the white-haired boy that resembled Inukoshuu. There he was, coming back to her – attempting to defend her.

_He looks so much like him, it's scary… He even sounds like him, except he's less proud and is more laid-back… and he's _protecting_ me. Just like Inu… _Kagome ended the thought there. She frowned. _No. Inukoshuu killed me. He never loved me – he lied to me. All he wanted was for me to be dead…_

Kagome bowed her head scowling. "Will someone get me off of this tree?" she cried, furiously. Inuyasha's head snapped in her direction. He looked confused and then afraid. "I don't think anyone knows how…"

"I-Inuyasha, you're name is, right? Can you at least try? Maybe it's not a coincidence you look like Inukoshuu, maybe you're related! Do all dog-demon's have priest powers?"

Inuyasha laughed at that. "Not as far as I know." _But… the thing my hand did in the well… Was that a priest power?_ He looked up at Kagome. "How do you know I'm a dog-demon?" he asked.

Kagome grimaced. "Your ears!"  
Inuyasha looked up, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see them. His ears... the things he'd had to cover up every day of his life in public. Bandanas, hats, hooded coats… anything to hide his puppy-dog ears.

His bandana had fallen off in the well. Now his ears twitched on top of his head. Inuyasha smiled wryly. "Hang in there, Kagome!" he called. "I'm coming!"

"_Hanyou_!" the centipede demon shrieked. Mistress Centipede was now pulling out from the tree and straightening up, furious. "_This ends now!" _she cried, before darting forward just as Inuyasha was running towards the girl bound to the tree.

Mistress Centipede's previous sharp canines grew to the size of walrus tusks, except they ended in a deadly point. And she _bit_ Inuyasha.  
"No!" Kagome cried, shocked.  
Inuyasha slowly looked down and watched as Mistress Centipede rattled him to and fro, then tossed him in the air.

Inuyasha wondered whether she'd actually eaten a part of him, but she hadn't – he was all in one piece. Inuyasha was comforted. He was falling and something was gushing out of the wound on his body. Something pink… it was falling with him – resembling a rose-coloured snowflake.

He reached out for it as he fell and when he hit the floor he held it cupped in his right hand. It was warm to the touch and was the size of a large marble. _The Shikon Jewel…? _

"_I knew! I knew you had it!" _Mistress Centipede cried triumphantly, dashing forward. Inuyasha looked up, but only in time to see her tongue slithering out and wrapping around his wrist.  
"No!" Inuyasha cried, shaking his head. "You… You can't have it…!" _This jewel… it must stay in the past… If it isn't heard of in the future, then it must stay in the past – and having a big demon like her absorbing it wouldn't be a good thing…_

Mistress Centipede chuckled. Somehow, her tongue seemed to open up Inuyasha's fingers and steal the jewel from underneath his fingertips.  
"NO!" Inuyasha yelled.  
Mistress Centipede laughed.

"_Finally. The Jewel of Four Souls is mine…!" _she cried in delight.  
From Kagome there had been silence. Until now. The human girl was grinning triumphantly. "No, it isn't!" she retorted.

Inuyasha glanced at her briefly, then did a retake. Kagome was laughing now, and her teeth were shining. But they weren't regular teeth. She had fangs. Her dark hair seemed to have grown and perched on top of her head were two twitching puppy-dog ears.

_And_… Inuyasha realised_, she's not attached to the tree… she's free! _"The fool that Inukoshuu was – he made sure that his spell trapped a human girl against the Go Shinboku. But he didn't count that I had a fake Shikon Jewel forged – and that was the one that rolled away before I died…"

"Kagome…" Inuyasha whispered. "What have you done…?"  
Kagome kept on smiling. "I had the jewel. It was in my hand while I slept – didn't you figure that out? Didn't anyone notice? Humph, maybe that's why Inukoshuu never took me down…"

"_Human_!" Mistress Centipede screeched.  
Kagome laughed. "Not anymore!" she retorted, then jumped forward – outstretching her newly grown claws. "Say goodbye, hag!" she cried, before lunging forward and shredding the centipede demon in two.


	6. Chapter 6

**Reflections In Your Tears**

Sorry I took so long to update. I had temporary writers block – damn. In fact, I have writers block for a lot of things, and I was scared that I would make this so much like _Volume One_ that I was on the verge of deleting it. Sigh.

**Scroll Six  
**The Turning Point

_Fifty years ago…_

Shippo was curled up in Kagome's lap, asleep. He had a content smile on his face, his fiery red hair fitting in snugly with Kagome's red robes.  
"Is he asleep?" Inukoshuu leaned over, almost resting his head on Kagome's shoulder as he looked down at the little Kitsune. The fire in the hearth cast a warm glow over his face, brightening his amber eyes.

Kagome nodded, a big smile on his face as she turned to him. "He's had a long day, and I guess we have too." She glanced at the hanyou, and grinned. "Time for _your_ bed time, mister."

Inukoshuu frowned. "Don't go all motherly on me." He folded his arms. "After all, I'm older than you – _I_ should be the one sending you to bed."  
Kagome grimaced. "Make me,"  
Inukoshuu kept his eyes on Kagome's face as he flicked his wrist. Kagome mentally cursed – she'd almost forgotten he had the power of telekinesis. It seemed too much like a cliché.

Shippo was no longer on her lap. The five-year-old was hovering in the air, slowly being placed down on the bare floor beside the fire. Inukoshuu grinned wickedly. "Bed time," he sung. Kagome frowned. "Now that was cheating,"  
Inukoshuu just shrugged, leaning in closer and closer. Kagome didn't push him back. She liked having him this close to her – it was as if they were the only two people in the world.

She brought up her hand and brushed the side of his face, tenderly. "Inukoshuu…"  
The half-demon flinched under her touch. His eyes suddenly widened and he was afraid, backing away from her – trapped. "Kagome, don't–"  
But it was too late. Nothing he could have said would have stopped her. She had stood by too long, kept loyally by his side without any promises. She had to have him. Now.

She pressed her mouth against his before he could object any further. Inukoshuu's eyes widened even further, but he didn't stop her. He slowly shut his eyes and returned her kiss, looping an arm around her waist – supporting her.

They both felt elated. This was what they had been waiting for so long. And now that they were together… Their kiss deepened, neither could contain their happiness. Kagome's hands were moving up and down Inukoshuu's chest. "Inu–"  
"Shh," he whispered against her mouth, before going to kiss her again.

Shippo didn't wake from his spot by the fire. He rolled over in his sleep, re-alerting the two to his presence. Inukoshuu froze. He blinked a couple of times, and then pulled back from Kagome – averting his eyes. Their moment ended.  
Instead Kagome was left searching his face, while the hanyou gazed into the fire, unsure of what to say or do.

Kagome broke the silence. She put her hand on his. "I love you, Inukoshuu." She whispered in his ear. Inukoshuu felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine. His heart throbbed painfully. "Don't say it. Please, Kagome, don't… we– we can't be together, they won't allow it."

Kagome ran a hand through his hair, smiling sadly. "Yes we can. We just have to leave – take Shippo with us and leave,"  
"But the village…" Inukoshuu trailed off. He caught Kagome's eyes and realised that, so long as they were together, he didn't _care_ about the village. All he cared about was her.

He sighed. "You would stay with me?" he asked almost hesitantly.  
Kagome nodded, smiling. "I have for so long already," she reminded him.  
Inukoshuu grimaced, and squeezed her hand. Kagome squeezed back. The two looked over at Shippo. "A happy family?" Inukoshuu murmured.

Kagome leant her head on his shoulder and nodded. "Happy family," she agreed.

* * *

_Fifty years later…_

Kagome straightened up. She stared down at the centipede demon with little remorse or regret. She flexed her now sharpened claws and stared at them with keen interest.  
Inuyasha was staring at her from the other side of the clearing, confused. And was he…? Was he _disgusted_?

Kagome snarled. "I don't care what you think," she sniffed, turning away from him. "That hag had it coming." She ignored the remains of the centipede demon on the floor and began walking – heading towards the village.

Inuyasha stood up abruptly and grabbed her arm. "Kagome… about Inukoshuu,"  
The girl turned on him, angrily. "Don't mention that name around me, got it?" she spat.  
"But–"

"I hate him! I hate him, do you hear me? He's in the past – and that's where he'll stay!" she cried, furious. Inuyasha clenched his fists, suddenly angry himself. She wasn't even _listening_ to him! "But Kagome, that's just the point! He's dead!" he snapped.

Kagome froze, falling back a step. Her pupils turned to dots that were nearly invisible. She wasn't aware of the tears swelling up in her eyes. The tears of confusion, shock. "No…" she replied. "No,"

Inuyasha calmed. "How long did you think you were asleep for? It's been fifty years, Kagome. Inukoshuu died after he trapped you to that dumb tree!"  
Kagome shook her head, not wanting to believe his words. "No…" was all she said.

Inuyasha felt a knot of jealousy tighten somewhere inside of him. Kagome still loved this Inukoshuu, no matter how much she tried to hide it – why else would she be so willing to not believe him? Inuyasha bowed his head. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and began walking back to the village ahead of her.

"Sorry to be the bringer of bad news…"  
Kagome wasn't following. Tears cascaded down her face and she looked down at what she had become – a hanyou. She gritted her teeth, clenching her fists. She looked so… lost.

Inuyasha turned to look at her and stiffened at the sight of her tears. "K-Kagome…?"  
"Why?" Kagome bowed her forehead and then dropped down to her knees. "Why did he have to trap me anyway? All I wanted… all I ever wanted was for us to be together. I wanted him to stay the way he was – forever. To me, he was perfect just the way he was…"

Inuyasha bent down next to her, his amber eyes searching her face. Her tough girl façade had faded and now she was nothing more than a girl who missed her lover more than she could bare. She was vulnerable, afraid… and unstable beyond comparison. Inuyasha didn't know what to say or what to do. He gulped.

"Come on. Let's get back to the village,"  
Kagome shook her head, laughing pitifully. "No. Shippo will be there and I can't face him yet. I– I want to get away from here…"  
Inuyasha bent down, looking into her eyes. He saw that she really needed this – she really needed to get away.

He sighed and helped her up. "Listen. I don't live here – in this time, I mean. But, so long as I'm here – I'll help you, okay? I've got nothing to go back to. Just an older brother who hates me, terrible grades at school and a family that can hardly hold together. What's more, I got the police after me…"

"Police?" Kagome repeated, confused. Inuyasha reminded himself that he was in the Sengoku Jidai and smiled. "They're, uh, a group of authorities assigned to a certain area. They make sure you don't do anything wrong."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, her tears slowly fading away. "And you did something wrong?" she prompted.  
Inuyasha shook his head. "They _think_ I did. Anyway, where do you want to go?" he asked, straightening.

Kagome shrugged and turned away from him. "Anywhere but here. Listen, you don't have to follow me. In fact – I don't _want_ you to follow me; I'll be fine on my own."  
Inuyasha snorted. "You're a new half-demon; you have to follow my lead if you want to survive."

"Oh? And I thought you said something ridiculous like 'this wasn't your time', so how can _you_ expect to survive in a world you haven't a clue about?" Kagome grinned maliciously. _She has a point, _Inuyasha realised, defeated.

He glared at her. "All right, fine. You're right. Looks like we need each other, whether we like it or not."  
"Most definitely _not_," Kagome put in, making it worse.  
Inuyasha growled. "And who decided you would be a half-_dog_-demon anyway? What kind of sick joke is that?"

Kagome started. The person who had decided was her. She couldn't think of anything else she would have liked to be, she just knew she had to use the jewel before anyone could use it ever again. And to spite Inukoshuu. She hadn't known he was dead at the time… Now that she thought about it, she did feel really alone. Inukoshuu had promised her that as long as he was in the world, she would never be alone. She'd never felt so alone until that moment when she'd heard he was dead.

He'd left her. After all of his promises, the bastard had left her. Kagome frowned.  
"Come on, mutt." She nodded in Inuyasha's direction. Now that she stared at him closely, he didn't look so much like Inukoshuu as she originally thought. It still hurt, though, whenever she looked at him.

Inuyasha growled. "Who are you calling 'mutt', wench?"  
Kagome walked ahead of him, her face shielded by a curtain of hair. It was just as well, because underneath it she was smiling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Reflections In Your Tears**

**Scroll Seven  
**Beautiful

Kagome ignored the tears that fell from her eyes. The sea was truly beautiful – just like she had imagined it. At Inukoshuu's side, she had never been to the sea – they had always kept confined to the village. But now, now that she was free she could go anywhere she wanted. Anywhere at all.

Inuyasha picked up another rock and flung it into the sea, watching the amount of times it skimmed the surface of the water and went along for another jump. He didn't seem so taken with it, as if he had seen a million oceans and they were all just a common accessory for him. Kagome felt jealous, but she didn't say so.

The more she looked at him, the more she realised he wasn't Inukoshuu. They were so different. Inuyasha seemed more relaxed and laid-back. Granted, he had a bit of a short-temper, but he seemed a nice guy. So had Inukoshuu… before he bound her to the God tree. Kagome narrowed her eyes in silent recollection. She frowned.

"Hey, Kagome! Look!" Inuyasha called beneath her little sand dune. He was pointing out to a crab walking sideways out of the seawater – scuttling quickly away. Inuyasha fell back onto the sand, watching the pitiful creature with keen interest. He placed his head in his hands and sighed.

Kagome smiled. Crabs were odd creatures, always walking sideways. She could never imagine walking like that. She'd never seen a real crab before – only crab demons that lived in the lakes high in the mountains when they had been forced out of the sea. Even then, they had made she and Inukoshuu laugh.

The memories began flooding back to her.  
Hiding in a bush… from Inukoshuu. Bathing in a hot spring and staying alert… in case Inukoshuu peeked at her. Hiding behind a tree with Shippo… spying on Inukoshuu. Lying inside the hut… with Inukoshuu next to her – keeping her warm.

Her mouth opened and for a moment she was just gaping, lost for words. Then she lowered her head and withdrew into herself for a while. Inuyasha turned back to look at her, about to laugh, when he saw her ears droop.

He froze. "K-Kagome?"  
She didn't answer him. Instead, she kept looking down at her lap – trying to ignore the tears running down her cheeks. She knew she should be brave, she knew she should hate him for what he did to her – but how could she?

After all, she had stopped him from achieving his dream – to be a full-demon. And in spite of him, she had used the Shikon Jewel to become a hanyou, just as he had been. _Inukoshuu… _

"Inuyasha, tell me. What do you want most in the world?" Kagome asked, her head still bowed.

Inuyasha blinked for a moment, stepping over to her dune and sitting down next to her. He frowned. "Why?"  
"Just answer the question," Kagome whispered, keeping her eyes lowered.

Inuyasha sighed and averted his eyes, tossing his hair back behind his head. He scowled. "To be accepted for who I am," he replied without flinching. It was strange; he had never been able to talk to anyone like this before – especially about what he wanted. If anyone had previously asked him he'd have said he wanted to be rich, or live happily or get a good job. But that wasn't the truth.

The truth just came out around Kagome, he knew that now. He felt like he could talk to her, now that they were both half-demons.  
Kagome's lips parted, but she said nothing. Instead she nodded once in understanding. Inuyasha didn't think she was going to speak again, but he was wrong.

"Do you know what I want, Inuyasha?" she said softly, raising her eyes.  
Inuyasha choked on the air he breathed, and then composed himself. "W-What?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Kagome smiled dreamily and looked up at the morning sky. It had only taken them the night to run here – now that she was a half-demon she could run and keep up with Inuyasha. Not that she had ever run anywhere with him before. She had always relied on Inukoshuu to carry her places because she would only lag behind. Now, she didn't have to worry about being too slow.

Inuyasha studied her face for a moment, before she continued.  
"I want someone to love me. Someone who loves me for me, and someone who loves themselves."

Inuyasha blinked furiously, staring at her.  
Kagome smiled grimly. "Of course, Inukoshuu never loved me, did he? Otherwise he wouldn't have killed me like that. Binding me to that dumb old tree. And he never, _ever_ loved himself. That was the reason we fell out in the first place. He wanted to use the Shikon Jewel to become a full demon, but I ran away with it that day because he was planning on using it.

I wanted him to stay the way he was – I loved him the way he was, but he couldn't see it. He wanted to be a full-demon, because he said he wanted to be 'free' and accepted. And when he found out I had stolen it… he killed me.

He never loved me. He used me for the damn jewel," Kagome hissed almost bitterly. She kicked the sand at her feet, frowning.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak and then shut it. He looked away. "Ya know, Kagome, I don't think he hated you. I think…"  
Kagome's head jerked up, her eyes narrowed in fury. "Don't you _dare_ say that! You didn't even know him!" she snarled, furious.

Inuyasha made a motion with his hands, telling her to calm down. He brushed back his hair, frowning. "You're a handful," he told her.  
Kagome's eyes darkened. "Say that again, mutt, and you won't be around fast enough to see me swipe."

Inuyasha grinned playfully, yet he still bared his fangs. "Don't call me 'mutt'! Take a look in the mirror next time, _bitch_!"  
Kagome laughed back at him. "Oh, ha ha! Very funny,"

And she lunged at him. After about a minute of rolling around and giggling, Inuyasha ended up pressing Kagome to the floor, laughing triumphantly. Her dark hair was fanned out across the fine grains of sand around them, her brown eyes wide and startled. Her lips were open in confusion and disbelief, her cheeks rosy.

Inuyasha stared down at her, almost as if he were looking through her. His amber eyes grew foggy with longing, his silver hair billowing about his face.  
Kagome looked afraid, yet she didn't pull away. "Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha leant down, a blush creeping up his own face as he did so. Kagome gulped and tried to push him away, but she couldn't. Because the moment his profile filled her vision, all she saw was Inukoshuu. She knew it was wrong of her, she knew she should have thought only of Inuyasha, but she couldn't help it.

She shut her eyes and waited for Inuyasha's lips to press against her own – accept in her mind, it wasn't Inuyasha kissing her. It was Inukoshuu.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said against her lips as he kissed her again, more fiercely this time. Kagome let him kiss her, and began to kiss back – feeling a fire burn somewhere deep inside of her.

She knew it was wrong – but in a weird way it felt right. It felt right to be with Inuyasha. So right…  
"_Kagome? Inukoshuu? You're alive?" _Cried a startled voice from the other side of the beach. Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and he pulled himself off of Kagome, his face beetroot red.

Kagome sat up and looked over at the far side of the beach. There, standing in long white robes tucked into red trousers, was her fair cousin. The two looked like twins more than cousins. They had the same face and eyes, even the same hair – whereas her cousin's was longer.

Kagome sucked in a deep breath before her eyes met with soft brown ones. She smiled awkwardly. "Kikyo,"

Kikyo stepped forward, carrying a basket full of shells that she was obviously collecting for some anonymous reason. This she dropped as soon as she realised that it was indeed her cousin. She ran over.

Kikyo was three years older than Kagome initially, but since Kagome had been informed by Inuyasha that she had been asleep for fifty years – Kikyo should have been sixty-eight by now. But Kagome's cousin knew a trick or two when it came to immortality.

Kagome and Kikyo were suddenly locked in a fierce embrace, clinging on to each other for dear life. Kikyo was even crying into her younger cousin's shoulder. "When I heard the news… I visited and I saw you on the tree and, oh Kagome – it was horrible. I tried to free you, I really did, but the spell held fast, and–"

Kikyo stopped. She let go of Kagome and slowly turned on Inuyasha, her face clearly showing her hatred.  
Inuyasha backed away. _She – She thinks I'm Inukoshuu… _

"_You_…" Kikyo began, her eyes narrowing to the point of slits. She had a bow and a set of arrows slung over her back and now she withdrew her bow, aiming at Inuyasha. She pulled out an arrow and set it in place.

Kagome pounced on her cousin, stopping her before she fired. "No! Kikyo, no – that isn't Inukoshuu!" Kagome told her, briefly wondering why she couldn't realise this herself. _Inuyasha isn't Inukoshuu… he can't replace him…_

Kikyo blinked furiously. "W-What?" When she had recovered and had slung the bow back onto her shoulder, she gaped at her cousin. "How can he not be…?" she trailed off, finally taking notice of Inuyasha's clothes. They weren't like anything she had ever seen before.

Kagome sighed. "Kikyo, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is my cousin – Kikyo."  
Kikyo frowned in distaste. "What is it with you keeping in the company of hanyous, cousin?" Kikyo asked, scrunching her face up. Kagome knew she was only joking around, for Kikyo had a hanyou husband – that is if he had managed to keep alive this long.

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but Inuyasha was staring at Kikyo as if she were mad. "Are you an idiot? Didn't you even _look_ at your cousin properly?" he cried.

Kagome shot him a warning glance, but it was too late. Kikyo turned around, laughing almost, but then she caught sight of Kagome's ears and gasped. "Oh my–! You're… You're a…!"

"A hanyou," Kagome finished for her, nodding. "Yeah,"

Kikyo balled her hands up into fists and turned back to Inuyasha. "_You_. You did this – you mated with her, you bastard!"

Inuyasha's eyes widened and his heart got lodged somewhere in his throat. "M-M-Mated?" he repeated dumbly, his voice weak. Kagome waved her arms as if telling Kikyo she'd gotten the wrong idea.

"No, no, no. We're just… acquaintances. Really, I hardly know him." She told Kikyo, jumping into the conversation before Kikyo let rip at Inuyasha again.  
One of Kikyo's eyebrows arced beautifully above her eye, mockingly. "Oh really? It didn't look like you were _introducing yourselves_ from what I saw over there,"

Inuyasha stood up hastily. "I don't know what you saw, but whatever you _think_ you saw isn't it. You have it wrong,"

"Yeah," Kagome nodded furiously, tapping Kikyo's shoulder. "Inuyasha just fell over, that's all."

"'Fell over', did he?" Kikyo mused, smiling slyly. "I'll be the judge of that. Naraku,"

Inuyasha gulped, not knowing what to expect. Was Kikyo calling some kind of familiar? Some kind of demon that was going to come over and rip him apart?  
But Kagome's eyes were shining. "Oh! You _are_ still together, then!" she clapped happily, grinning.

Inuyasha stared at her. _Huh? She's acting like a little kid! Why wasn't she like this before…? _  
A moment later a man with long dark hair came stepping out of the woods bordering the north side of the beach. He flashed a brilliant smile in Kikyo's direction.

Kagome shook her finger at her cousin. "Fancy you mouthing off about hanyous, and yet you're still married to one."  
_What? _Inuyasha looked over at the approaching man. _This guy's a hanyou? _

"Kagome," the man said softly, his voice dark. Inuyasha shivered when he spoke. The man named Naraku held out both arms in the direction of Kagome and Kikyo. The two cousins giggled, flattered, and ran into his arms – Kagome acting like a little child rather than a fifteen year old.

The man seemed to be in his twenties. Whenever he looked at Kikyo his eyes flashed with longing. They were obviously in love, except Inuyasha didn't know whether it was the kind of love he approved of. They both looked like commanding people who wanted to take control of the relationship. So far, it looked like Naraku was winning as he appeared to be the oldest.

"Kagome, my dear, you're still alive…" Naraku whispered, even though he talked around Kikyo's hair as he pressed his face up against his wife's. Kagome nodded against his purple kimono. "Uh huh."

Kikyo smiled. "Where did you go?" she asked Naraku, curling his long hair in her fingers. Naraku seemed to have almost ruby red eyes. His gaze locked with Inuyasha's and he smiled maliciously. Inuyasha shrank beneath his gaze. _I don't like this guy… _

"I was looking for you, silly. Don't just run off like that…"  
"But since we were so near the beach, I had to get the children some seashells,"

"Children?" Kagome pulled out of Naraku's hug and stared, open mouthed. "You two have children?"

Kikyo shook her head, giggling. "No, no. The children of the village, baka. We were just here for a visit, but I figured I should walk down the beach – I guess we're so well connected, cousin – it was our subconscious minds interweaving us together again."

Kagome smiled, flattered. "Well, it was me who decided to come down to the beach. I've always wanted to see the sea – you know that,"  
"Mm. It truly is beautiful, isn't it?" Kikyo nodded in agreement.

Inuyasha and Naraku were left out of the conversation now, Naraku still holding on to Kikyo. Inuyasha was still sat on the dune; staring off at the sea and watching the gulls fly ahead. Kagome and Kikyo were looking at it wistfully too.

"Well, there's no reason for us all to stand out here in the middle of nowhere." Naraku smiled. "Let's go back to the hut, I'm starving."  
Kikyo turned and shook her finger at him, scolding him. "Now, now. Don't be too hasty."

Naraku flashed a dazzling grin that made Inuyasha want to puke. "You're the odd one out now, my dear. We have nothing but hanyous in are company,"  
Kikyo nodded, waving a hand as if it were unimportant. "Come. We should all get back to the hut. Inuyasha," she turned on the dog-hanyou, grimacing. "You can come as well. Any friend of my cousin is a friend of mine,"

Inuyasha opened his mouth and then nodded his head in thanks. Kagome suddenly withdrew into herself again, the excitement over seeing her cousin vanishing. "Hai," was all she said – as she began to follow Naraku and Kikyo back to their temporary lodgings. Inuyasha followed wordlessly behind her, his hands jammed into his pockets.

He didn't know what it was he didn't like about Naraku, but there was something strange about that man. Something very strange…


End file.
